


The Beast Inside

by TheGhostWriter91



Category: inFAMOUS (Video Games), inFAMOUS: Second Son
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adult Content, Explicit Language, F/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-03-29 20:29:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3909562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGhostWriter91/pseuds/TheGhostWriter91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(DISCONTINUED) Night terrors or metaphorical visions of a bleak future? Whatever they were, Delsin wanted no part of it. His fight was suppose to be over. However, it's hard to ignore the beast scratching at your door...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Into The Woods

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there readers! This isn't my first ever fanfiction, however, it is my first Second Son fic. I wanted to get back into writing and I figured writing fanfiction might help get me going on finishing other projects I started some time ago. So without further ado, here is The Beast Inside.

Delsin perched himself atop a high cliff that over

looked the water on Salmon Bay. The sun was about to set, splashing hues of orange and red down into the water. It looked like paint dripping across a canvas. Stars started to twinkle and the moon was making its full appearance above. There was a slight breeze that ruffled the bits of hair that showed beneath his burgundy beanie. A perfect dusk.

Almost too perfect.

He closed his eyes letting the calm sweep over him. He couldn't remember the last time he didn't feel chaotic inside...and out. Ever since Reggie...Delsin's features flinched, inhaling slightly. Ever since Reggie passed, which was still so difficult to even think about, his world seemed so much harder than before. So much colder.

When he re-opened his eyes the dark had completely covered all of Salmon Bay. Which was odd, considering he had only had his eyes shut for about a minute, tops. Or at least, that's what he thought. He involuntarily exhaled the breathe he'd forgotten and looked upwards into the night. The moon was above him now like a giant spotlight. Something seemed off.

A low howl echoed through the trees behind him. He immediately stood and turned to the direction of the sound. The forest that had been behind him seemed a lot more dense than usual. He couldn't even see past the second row of trees. Then, a sudden loud rustling could be heard at the center of the thicket. The only noise, he now noticed, he could hear. The rest of Salmon Bay was dead silence.

"That's not right..." Delsin whispered to himself as he took a few steps forward, eyes frantically surveying the area.

There was nothing. Not even the calming breeze from moments before. He felt the chaos rise inside. Just then, more rustling was made and two beady blue eyes, the colour of the ocean, appeared at the center of the wood. A chill ran down Delsin's spine. Another howl, much closer this time, indicated that it was definitely the work of this blue eyed beast.

Heat rushed to his fingertips. Whatever this thing was, he had to find out. If not for curiosity, then for the tribe. He was in no condition to lose anyone else. As he started to walk carefully forward, smoke at the ready, the beast ran off into the wood. Heart suddenly pounding, Delsin pursued.

This chase was so on.

Almost fearlessly, Delsin lunged into the forest using the thick branches of the trees as temporary launch pads. He saw silver dashing always a few feet ahead of him. This made it difficult to make out the figure, but whatever it was, it was fast. The way the moon hit what Delsin would assume was the creature's back reminded him of pure light. A chase for light.

His mind drifted to a memory of another light he had pursued some time ago. Purple, feisty, aggressive...afraid.

Fetch.

 _I wonder how she is_...he thought for a brief moment but in the same instance he looked below and saw the creature had halted in a bare patch of woods. He had been so preoccupied that he almost passed the potentially dangerous being completely. He jumped down a few branches to see if he could get a closer look from a safer distance. However, the closer he got, the more shrouding the darkness enveloped the beast. It was like a reverse effect.

Delsin's face became puzzled. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing or how it was possible. A few more leaps down and he was about five feet from the soil. From here, the creature was no more than eyes again. Ocean blue.

He hesitantly touched the ground and he knew, consciously, that the looming shadows around him were the trees but behind those eyes was just a mass. No exact shape and you couldn't see through it. It was almost as if it were apart of the shadows of the surrounding tree trunks. One large, black mass.

Chills ran down his entire body and he looked up. He could still see the moon bright as ever through the twisted branches, taunting him in some way. Uneasy, he focused back in front of him only to see that the creature was inches away from his face. The eyes shifting from blue to a sinister red.

"No way..." he breathed and then the mass engulfed him.

 

 


	2. Fright Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again readers! I wanted to at least get two chapters up today so people could get more of a feel for the story instead of just a tiny little prologue. I'll probably start chapter two soon and post that sometime next week. I'm just trying to see if this is anything worth continuing because of course no one wants to write something no one enjoys. Haha! So please, read and review! This story is definitely a little different and perhaps out there. but enjoy!

The twenty-four year old woke with a start.

His own screams echoing back to him in a dazed, slow motion. His breathing was ragged with the edge of the sheets balled into his fists. It was just a dream, he suddenly realized looking around the familiarity of the room. Yet he was still shaking slightly.

The bedroom door flung open and through it appeared Betty, stapler in hand. She had flicked on the light looking ready to do battle with whatever had made Delsin scared.

"What, do ya keep a stock of those things-" Delsin referred to the stapler, but the old woman was too worked up to hear him.

"-DELSIN, DELSIN! What's wrong? What happened?!" She was holding the stapler like a gun while searching for the perpetrator.

"Betty...BETTY." he yelled the second time to bring her focus onto him. "Betty, I'm fine. Just a bad dream." He pulled his sheets up to his chin to cover his bare chest. "Do you mind?"

"Delsin," she breathed a sigh of relief. "Another nightmare?" The old woman let the weapon in her hand drop. "The way you were screaming sounded like someone was murdering you." She settled at the edge of his bed. "And no, I don't mind. I've taken care of you for practically your whole life. Nothing I haven't seen before."

"Eck, gross."

She narrowed her wrinkled eyes and shook her pointer finger at him, "Don't be a child."

Delsin gave her a half smile, "I'm fine, honestly. Nightmares happen. I know how much you wanna use that on someone-" he eyed the stapler on the floor "-but you'll just have to save your staples for another day."

Betty looked like she was a bit out of breath as she shook her head. "Delsin, dear, nightmares are normal but not when they're consecutive for a solid month. I believe this is the worst one yet."

"Mm, no, I think burning a hole through the couch still sits at number one." Delsin disagreed.

"At any rate," she rolled her eyes. "I'm worried about you, dear. Ever since Reggie-"

Now it was the twenty-four year old's turn to shake his head, "-Betty."

She sighed, knowing what was coming. "Delsin, please-"

"No, I'm tired now Betty."

"You have to-"

"Betty! Please...I need sleep." he said sternly and then whispered, "No more."

The old woman was aware of the line he had drawn, and she was willingly crossing it. She couldn't help it. For six months he kept everything bottled in. He didn't know this but after Seattle, when the nightmares began, she'd often wake to the sounds of him crying in his sleep. Then they got worse. Delsin never spoke of it but she knew, when he would cry out Reggie's name, he was reliving that horrific moment.

The nightmares didn't stop there, however, they started to become something else. The hole he had burned into the couch? Well, he had stumbled in late one night. Drunk. The few friends he had had convinced him he just needed to wash down his sorrows. Betty had been sorely against it because alcohol can do terrible things to troubled people, but he was, after all, an adult.

When he passed out on the tiny sofa he must have delved right into a bad dream. She heard him stumble, then fall onto the couch, then struggle. She remembered getting up and grabbing her trusty stapler to peer through the slit of her door. The commotion she saw before her was of Delsin fighting off an invisible force.

He was gritting his teeth while crossing his forearms in front of himself. Like he was trying to keep something away. Pushing and fighting while shaking from side to side. His arms lowered beside him as his hands became smoke. Then he unexpectedly lunged to his left throwing what looked like a ball of smoke in the back of the couch.

"DELSIN!" Betty cried, mortified. She took a few panicked steps towards him.

Suddenly, he shot up from the couch into a sitting position. His breathing was heavy as he turned to face the old woman, face covered in sweat. Her eyes were wide and her bottom lip trembled. She couldn't even remember ever being so terrified. Seeing so much power from someone she practically raised made her feel sick and sad at the same time. He wasn't her Delsin anymore.

Her eyes met dark brown ones, both sharing the same emotion. Then the smell of burning drew them back to reality. Something was on fire.

"Delsin, the couch!" Betty shrieked, pointing.

He quickly looked behind him and saw the gaping hole he had created, smoldering. "Fuck" was all he could manage but Betty became quick on her feet and grabbed a cup of water. As she doused the little embers Delsin used a pillow to smother some out. When the chaos was over, Delsin placed his hands on the arm of the couch as he stretched his legs a feet or two back. His head hung low while Betty leaned against the counter. Her left hand rubbed down her tired face and stopped to cup her mouth. They were both still panting and no matter how much air they seemed to take their hearts continued to flutter like humming birds.

Delsin was the first to speak, "Betty-"

"You know," the old woman began slowly. "in all my years of living..." she let her arm drop to cross both on her chest. "...I never thought that I could feel so helpless and scared. That I could never protect this tribe..." her eyes wandered to the singed kitchen wall. "...because of you."

The twenty-four year old's face went pale. He could feel his heart drop to his stomach. "Betty, no..." he panicked walking toward her. "Betty, please...don't be afraid of me." He waved his hands in front of himself wanting desperately to say more, but she cut him off by raising her own hand.

"No, Delsin." She walked over to the wall she'd been staring at. "I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid for you. You are Akomish...part of my tribe..." she reached a hand out toward the battered wall. Her finger tips grazing ever so slightly. "...and I don't know how to protect you anymore."

It had been one of the hardest things she ever had to admit. Being leader of this tribe was everything, and not being able to help your own family, blood or not, is a devastating blow to the gut. It was that moment she realized it was out of her control. This wasn't her protecting Delsin from the cops or the D.U.P. This was her trying to protect him from himself in absolute vain.

Betty rested her wrinkled hand upon Delsin's shin, smiling weakly. "You know, one day, I will find out what really goes on inside of there." She pointed to Delsin's forehead.

This emitted a smile from the young man before her. "Oh Betty, be careful what you wish for. I don't even know what goes on."

They chuckled softly together and for a moment it almost felt like everything was back to normal, even if it could never be the same.

Later that day, during the afternoon, Delsin decided to make a little trip to see an old friend. He hadn't visited Seattle in three months after the fall of Augustine. When the dust had settled and he had set things right, he just wanted to mourn...and remember what he had lost. Something he couldn't do while fighting off the D.U.P. and freeing conduits.

Trying to keep himself together had started taking a toll on his physical and mental state. He had started slipping up. Becoming easily distracted and having trouble focusing on the tasks at hand. He wanted to free and continue to teach normals and conduits to co-exist but couldn't find the drive for it anymore. He couldn't make himself care.

Fetch caught on before Eugene, as usual, and suggested that maybe a vacation wouldn't be so bad? Resign for a little bit, but of course, even though he understood what she was trying to say he couldn't help but feel a bit...pushed aside. He expressed that to her.

"No. D, it's not like that." she reassured him. "I've lost someone too, remember? I know what it's like to feel pressured to keep going when you just can't. Like you need a break, a breath of fresh air, you know?" Then Fetch chuckled softly adding "Don't worry, your highness, when we need you back at the throne we'll be sure to call ya." She winked.

Delsin felt a smile grow. "Do I really sound like one of those hierarchy bastards?"

She shook her head, "No...but you're starting too."

"So that's a yes?"

Fetch let out an exasperated laugh, "D! Listen...all I'm saying..." She stepped closer to him letting both of her hands rest on either side of his vest. She let her fingers play with the collar as she met his eyes. "...no one can replace you."

Delsin felt his face warm and the corner of his right lip up turn. "Thanks Fetch."

That was the last conversation he remembered having with her before coming back to the Akomish reservation. Ever since they had met she had become, probably, one of his best friends...and then some. He could trust her and it was about time he started confiding in someone again. Someone who could possibly, yet again, understand. He was deteriorating...fast.

"That's a little out there, D." the purple haired girl commented after he had finished telling her his latest nightmare.

"Yeah, it's been the same thing for the past one and a half months."

"The same monster?" Fetch asked, squinting her eyes slightly.

Delsin shook his head, "I think?"

"You  _think_?"

"Yeah, I mean, I've never seen it's face...or at least, I don't think I have." Delsin's eyes searched the table of the coffee shop they had stopped in to chat. Hoping to maybe see the answers appear in the lines of the wood.

Fetch made a confused laugh, "D, you're not making any sense."

The twenty-four year old placed his right hand onto his forehead, frustrated. "I know, I know! It's like I feel like I may have seen it's face but something isn't allowing me to remember that detail. It's eyes though..." He let his hand drop palm down on the table. "...so bright. So blue."

"Riiight, so it's something with very blue eyes. That helps."

Delsin let out an exasperated sigh, "Listen Fetch, for the past few months I haven't been able to get an entire nights sleep. I'm cindering holes in couches and burning bridges with people who I care about. I'm under slept and a little wired, so I'm sorry if details seem to escape me, but do NOT fuck with me right now." The brunette placed the fingers of his right hand against his forehead. "I just-" he began a circular motion to massage his temples while trying to find the right words to say, "-I just needed to tell somebody."

Fetch's features suddenly softened as she reached across the small, rectangular table for her friend's hand. She let her fingers slip in between his left fingers and tugged lightly. Brown eyes suddenly met hers. She felt her heart sink seeing how distressed Delsin was. Not that she had never seen him this way before or anything, it was just that this time it was different. This was true inner turmoil that no one could really understand unless they were him. Loss could do that to you.

"Hey, you know I didn't mean it like that, D. Losing a brother is nothing easy and I just think that, maybe, you're having a real hard time...letting go." She suddenly laughed slightly, "And who am I kidding? I nearly wiped Seattle clean of filth for my brother. I'd say that's extreme to say the least, but you helped me cope and now I feel I gotta help you." The purple haired girl smiled broadly. "What you need is a night out in the city with yours truly. No D.U.P. No bullshit. Just you and me."

Delsin couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Will there be dolphins?" he joked light heartedly.

Fetch let out an unexpected laugh which sent her back in her seat. She shook her head and smirked, "Maybe."

***

Delsin watched the headlights of cars stream across the white ceiling of Fetch's apartment. It was hard to sleep with the rumbling of engines passing by every few minutes or so. He had to admit, as much as he loved hanging out in the city, he could never picture himself living here. Too much noise, too many people all day, everyday. Perhaps that was the Akomish in him though. The Native. The need to be connected to the land.

He stretched his legs out beneath the covers as he rolled onto his back. His mind drifted to earlier events of the night. Over all, it had been a very successful night of forgetting. From the copious amounts of alcohol consumed between several stops they made they had managed to tag several buildings, prank a few passersby, and raced each other from a bar to the Space Needle and back. It wasn't the most righteous way to use their powers but then again, it was suppose to be a night of fun and nobody was harmed. Maybe disgruntled. He felt like a kid again, carefree.

A crooked smile crept into his lips as he turned his head to look at Fetch fast asleep beside him. She was cuddle up in her sheets with her bare back facing him. The ending to the night was still a bit hazy but warm in his thoughts. He enjoyed it, there was no doubt. He always did, but nothing ever became of it. Nothing ever became of them. Delsin turned his attention back to the ceiling. He didn't want to start thinking about right and wrongs at this particular moment. He really didn't want to think at all.

At some point and time his eyelids had finally shut. The sounds of the humming cars becoming a strange lullaby of their own. Through his lids he could catch slight flashes from their headlights passing by.  _One, two, three...four...five, six..._

Then suddenly, for what felt like a whole five minutes, the flashes stopped. Which was puzzling because Fetch lived on a relatively busy street. Delsin let his eyes flutter open only to be greeted by complete darkness. Uneasy darkness. He could hear a faint noise coming from the corner of the room. Was it creaking? He sat upright in bed, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. The windows were shut and the door was closed.

Was it the floor boards? Was someone in the room? He squinted his eyes toward the direction of the noise but it just looked like a mass void. A flash came into the room. Headlights, and for a split second he saw a figure in that corner. Delsin realized then that  _yes_ , something was certainly in the room and  _no_ , it wasn't floorboard creaks...it was scratching. It appeared to be long claws gliding along the wall.

Delsin let out a whisper under his breath, "You've got to be fucking kidding me."


	3. Something In The Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Sooner than I expected I have the next chapter up! I really just wanted to start delving into more of the plot and get more involved with other characters but don't worry, stuff is about to unfold. So PLEASE, read and review. Lemme know what you think!

There was only one other event

in Delsin's life that he could ever recall feeling so afraid; The first time he had received his powers. Ironically enough, that account and this were both technically fears of the unknown. Fear of the powers he obtained and fear of what was stalking him in the night.

He raised a smoke filled hand toward the creature. "Whoever-whatever you are, I wouldn't come any closer." he warned.

The creature didn't seem to care, however. It kept twisting it's claws along the wall in a waving manner. The twenty-four year old's hand shook, "You need to back off!" He quickly glanced over at Fetch who was, amazingly, still asleep through all of this. "Fetch!" he hoarsely whispered, "It's the thing! I think..." he looked back over at it as it kept inching it's way closer. Delsin blindly used his free hand to find Fetch's back and shook her quite violently to wake her up. "FETCH!" he whispered more urgently.

The figure had reached the end of the bed now, it's claws curling over the end board. Delsin couldn't wait anymore. He had to take some kind of action. Springing from the bed he unleashed a smoke ball at the thing which caught it's curled hand, singeing it. It howled in pain as it retreated against the wall. It slinked slowly back to the corner.

Delsin had both of his hands out stretched before him now, finger tips ablaze. "What the hell are you?! And what the hell do you want?!"

The creature did not reply. Instead, it huddled down wrapping it's claws around its dark mass. Delsin shuddered as he approached it cautiously. "Huh?!" he questioned it.

When he was about three feet away, it appeared that the figure had it's head cradled in it's creature didn't actually look so much of a creature at all. It took more of a human form.

"Hello?" Delsin tried to communicate. It suddenly made, what sounded like, soft cries. Was it weeping? He found himself feeling sickly sympathetic as he reached out toward it.  _What the fuck is going on?_  But as his hand was inches away the figure latched onto his arm and pinned him to the adjacent wall. Thinking quickly, he retaliated by burning the figure in the chest with his right hand and rolling it so it was pinned instead of him. He let out a battle cry as he let his other raised hand drop a smoldering ball of smoke into the figure itself. Ocean eyes catching his before they both were enveloped.

"DELSIN!" A voice broke from the brawl. "Delsin! What. The. Fuck!"

The brown haired boy blinked and his visioned cleared revealing a nicely scorched hole in the wall. You could see right through to the conjoined living and kitchen area. Which was now covered in ash. His brown eyes fell toward his hands. One was hovering where he had blasted the monster and the other was against the wall, where the monster  **should**  have been. Instead, there was a gaping opening with ash and sheet rock at his feet.

He took a step back from the mess, "What...?"

"What do you mean,  _WHAT_? What the FUCK did you do to my apartment, D?!" It was Fetch who had been yelling at him this whole time.

He turned around to look at her dumbfounded. "Fetch...I was just-"

"-Just what? Trying to redecorate?!"

"NO! Didn't you see it?"

Fetch shook her head furiously, "See what? All I saw was you yelling at my wall and then blasting it!"

Delsin couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No, no, no, no! The thing! The MONSTER! It was in your apart-"

"Don't. Delsin do NOT tell me what I think you're gonna tell me. I will go ape shit." The younger girl was waving his words away with her frantic movements.

"You gotta believe me!" Delsin pleaded.

"NO." She then came up real close to Delsin and pointed a finger at his head. "I don't know what's going on inside that head of yours but you need some serious help." She let her hand fall onto his cheek. "Ya know, my judgment was pretty clouded too when Brent passed-"

He hastily grabbed her fingers and pushed them away. "It has nothing to do with Reggie!"

He stormed over to his clothes and began to put them back on. Fetch followed up behind him trying to make him see what was really happening here. "D, it has everything to do with him!"

At this point, Delsin opted to tune her out before his blood really started to boil. How could she not see what he saw? He wasn't fucking crazy! Was he? As he finished zipping up his jeans Fetch made another attempt to make sense of things for him. "You're so deluded by his loss. By how quickly he was taken from you it's turned itself into a monster." She laid her hand on the back of his bicep which he immediately brushed off and continued pulling on his t-shirt he had worn that night over his head.

"D, just listen to me!" she pleaded.

He grabbed his plaid button down to throw on loosely and adjusted his signature burgundy beanie atop his head before walking out into the connected living/kitchen area. Picking up his black, and very worn boots by the front door he settled himself on the sofa to put them on. Fetch was standing in front of him now. Her reasoning was turning angry at his blatant ignorance of her presence. "You're being stupid!"

Without missing a beat, Delsin finished lacing up his boots and met her eye to eye. "I know what I saw, Fetch. I'm not crazy."

She shook her head, "I never said that!" She followed him to the front door. "But ya gotta admit, is it really all that coincidental? D, ya gotta look at the facts!"

"I'm done." Was all he said as he opened her door and took off down the hall.

"Delsin!" She called after him. "Delsin, what the fuck! Who is going to pay for these damages? Delsin!" By her last words, he was already heading down a flight of stairs. "Fuck!"

~

The cool night air rushed

his face as he hopped from one building to the next. He had had no destination in mind but had some how quickly found himself outside city limits. From concrete to forest, the atmosphere changed from stagnant to fresh. He gradually slowed his pace as the ground became more mountainous. Slowing to a walk, he let his hands lightly brush tree trunks as he passed. His mind raced over the events of the night. Rethinking it, maybe he had been crazy all along?

Delsin leaned his right hand against a tree for a moment. He felt a rise of guilt for leaving Fetch to deal with his mess. It wasn't her job and it sure as hell wasn't her fault. He just couldn't help but feel as if there was more to these dreams than just some unresolved he lost his parents, he never suffered like this. Then again, he hadn't been through so much trauma all at once. Powers. Saving a world. Death.

Was this what it was like to actually lose your mind? You see it all the time in the movies. The twist endings where the killer is actually the victim themselves, who, was never the victim at all. You sit there surprised because you think, that could never be me. That's not how real life works. You would totally know if you were going crazy...but now, Delsin wasn't so sure.

Loud beeping interrupted his thoughts nearly scaring the living shit out of him. He looked around to see where it was coming from because it sounded like the beeping of a large vehicle backing up.  _In the middle of the mountains?_  He pondered.

His interest peaked, he followed the sound through the thicket of the woods only to meet a dirt road at it's edge. Headlights flooding the area had caught his attention. Even more so, there were people outside of the large vehicle directing it. He stayed in the protective shadows of the forest as he watched these uniformed people try to get the monstrosity out of the mud. It appeared to be a transportation of sorts.

"Well this is odd." Delsin whispered ironically to himself.

He couldn't see too much detail from where he was but nothing seemed to be labeled. No company name plastered on the vehicle or the uniforms. Just black jumpsuits, combat boots, helmets, and guns. They reminded him of less intimidating versions of the D.U.P. He laughed silently to himself. There was no way though. Fetch, himself, and Eugene had clear them out of Washington awhile ago. He knew they probably had establishments in other states, he hadn't gone too terribly far out, but he hadn't seen a DUP in this state ever since the fall of Augustine.

However, just to be safe, he decided to pursue them when they finally got themselves unstuck. He ended up trailing them for a few miles up the mountain until they stopped at a huge facility that looked completely run down. It took Delsin a moment to understand why..."Curdun Cay." he murmured in disbelief.

There was no way that this place could still even be in function right now. It sure as hell didn't look it. Delsin made sure that rounds were taken every two weeks to ensure that a place like that never existed again. Atleast, when he was commandeering the equal rights of conduits. So if Fetch hadn't been keeping up...

He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he watched the vehicle enter through broken down gates. Chills ran crazily up and down his spine. He dialed in a number as he trailed quietly behind. He felt his blood boil slightly as a disgruntled voice answered the other end, "Are you seriously calling me right now?"

"Fetch, please explain to me why shady shit seems to be going down at Curdun Cay right now!" he whispered, half panicked.

"What! D, what the fuck?"

"Shit, Fetch! Shady shit. Curdun Cay. Right now!"

"D, what the hell are you-?" Delsin didn't even let her finish before he hung up on her. He wanted answers and he wanted her to explain to him to his face. In the mean time, he could use another alliance.

"H-Hello?" a sleepy voice answered.

"Some shit is going down and I have no idea to what extent it may be."

"Delsin? Do you have any idea what time it is? I have exams-"

"-Eugene, sometimes the world is more important. Be here. Curdun Cay."

Eugene seemed to fumbled over his words, "Cur-Curdun what? Wait, why?!"

"Just be here, damn it." Delsin barked and then added, "By the way,"

"Huh?"

"Congrats on going back to school, buddy." He could hear Eugene make an annoyed huffing sound as he hung up the phone. He really had a soft spot for that nerdy kid.

Fetch would naturally be the first to arrive. Her whole demeanor unpleasant. She swooped in on Delsin punching him in the left shoulder. "You ASSHOLE! You trash my apartment, storm out, and then call me up like  _you're_  mad?" She went to take another swing at him but he dodged it, holding onto her outstretched forearm.

"Easy, Fetch. Just listen to me."

She jerked her arm away and took another swing, "Yeah, right! The last time I listened to you I ended up with a hole in my apartment!"

Delsin kept dodging the infuriated purple headed girl as best he could. Thinking now that perhaps he should have mended things first before calling her out here. Oh well, too late now. "Fetch, SERIOUSLY!"

"Seriously, Delsin?! What is your problem?!" She went for yet another swing but this time Delsin caught her at just the right angle to where he turned her around and pinned her arms against herself, holding her to him. "If you don't lemme go, I swear I'll-!"

"Fetch,  **please**! I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to hurt you...or your apartment and I'll figure out some way to fix it but right now, we have bigger problems."

"I hope I didn't just come all the way out here just to see you two lovers quarrel." Eugene commented as he appeared from the woods.

Fetch broke free of Delsin's hold, "There's no love in this 'quarrel"." she spat, walking away.

"Ouch." Eugene laughed. "What did you do this time, Delsin?"

Delsin huffed, "It doesn't matter..." Fetch glared at him which made him quickly change his choice of words, "..for right now. Bullshit aside, there is something going down in there and I want to know why." He pointed a finger at Curdun Cay.

"What do you want to know, D? Huh? What could possibly be going on now?" Fetch lashed out, aggravatingly crossing her arms.

"I don't know, Fetch, you tell me. Tell me why I see what looks to be a transportation truck rolling up into this place in the dead of night? I thought we had this under control?" Delsin began to lose his cool.

Fetch raised her arms in defeat, "What do you want me to say, huh? That maybe I haven't been doing a hundred and ten percent."

"I-I've been away at school and between that, I-I mean I thought everything was safe." Eugene chimed in quietly.

" _Maybe_  you haven't been? Really?" Delsin scoffed.

"Oh come on, D!" Fetch was getting more irritated when she started pointing a finger at the older boy. "You had completely lost it. No will. No drive. You were miserable and you know what? You weren't the only one! Now I love crushing some D.U.P. butt as much as the next guy, but I have a life I want to live too!"

"Guys." Eugene tried to intervene as he saw this discussion taking a turn for the worst.

"So you couldn't assign someone else to the task?" Delsin retaliated.

"Assign someone? Are you kidding me? We only had so many conduits who wanted to help. Most just wanted to move on with their lives after being caged for more than half of it. I'm sorry not everyone wanted to kick butt and take names and be a hero like you!"

"I didn't ask to be a hero, Fetch! It just happened!"

"Guys!" Eugene could see the argument drawing them dangerously closer.

"Yeah, and look what it got you! A dead brother!" Fetch nearly screamed.

"GUYS! That's enough!" Eugene now stepped between the two of them.

Delsin inhaled a ragged breath, "Fuck you." He walked away and then circled back. "Fuck you!" he spat as he pointed his own finger at her. Then he stormed off toward Curdun Cay.

Eugene frantically looked between the two, not knowing who to follow or how to fix this. However, he did know one thing. "Fetch!" She looked at him, her eyes ablaze. He lowered his tone, "Fetch, that was fucked up. I-" he looked between the two. "-I gotta make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Then he ran off after Delsin leaving Fetch to kick at the ground.

When he caught up with the older boy, he was leaning against a wall with his head in his hands. Eugene approached him cautiously, "Delsin..."

Delsin sniffled and shook his head as he stood up straight, "Yeah, man, what's up?" His voice broke.

"Hey...you know she didn't mean any of that..."

"Yeah, yeah I know. It's fine. I'm fine." He wiped his face on his sleeve then looked Eugene in the eyes, "You ready to go see what's up? She coming?" Eugene shook his head. Delsin let out an exhausted, little laugh. "Alright then, just you and me kid. Let's go."

The older boy began to walk more stealthily as he focused on the potential situation at hand. Eugene was by his side, questions at the ready. "So what do you expect to find, exactly?"

Delsin hugged the wall as they came to a corner, peering over to make sure no one was there."I'm not sure. I just know it doesn't feel right...ya know?"

"I guess." The younger boy pushed his glasses up on his face as he followed. "Do you have a plan if this  _feeling_  happens to be correct?"

"IIII haven't actually thought that far ahead yet."

"Mm, right. Of course." Eugene answered, not surprised. What was he even getting himself into?


	4. Haunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is here early! I've been sick so I've had a bit of time to write. I also notice that I spelled Curdun Cay wrong in the last chapter and I apologize for that but I was having trouble fixing it soooo, it's fixed in this chapter from here on out. Sorry about that. Anyway, this is where things start to get interesting so please, READ AND REVIEW! I would greatly appreciate it! I would love to know if anyone is enjoying this because I certainly enjoy writing this! Thank you. Enjoy!

"They must have gone somewhere."

Delsin Rowe 360 around in what looked to be an old corridor. Eugene Sims and himself had been exploring the abandoned Curdun Cay for what seemed like ten minutes now, only to turn up empty handed. There was no way Delsin imagined that vehicle too.

"Maybe they were just...passing through?" Eugene offered.

The older boy made a face, "Passing through? Passing through to where? This is pretty high up on the mountains if you can remember correctly, Eugene."

The younger boy shook his head in hesitant agreement, "I try not to think about it. Thanks."

Suddenly, there was a rumbling from beneath their feet. It started to shake the floor beneath them and then the whole building. Panic set in both of their faces as they tried to hold onto the nearest wall but just as fast as it had come, it was soon gone. Delsin's features immediately lit up, "Ohhh hohoho, there is  **definitely**  something going down, man!" He steadied himself while asking, "Do you recall what's on the lower levels of this prison?"

Eugene had his hand to his chest. He absolutely did not like what was going on here. "Cells?"

Delsin narrowed his eyes, "Well that's a no brainer, I mean something else. Something not normally in prisons."

"Conduits?" Eugene smirked which only provoked an annoyed look from Delsin. After chuckling at himself for a second the younger boy added, "There was an arena of sorts...and a whole wing devoted to testing labs."

"An arena? Seriously? Was Augustine holding her own gladiatorial games?"

"More like training for a war." Eugene shuddered.

Delsin nodded his head, "Okay, okay. So there has to be a way down. I haven't seen any stairs..." he surveyed the area again. He took a few more steps to the end of the room peering round a corner. "Bingo!"

"What is it?" Eugene caught up to him.

"Elevator." Delsin walked over to it and placed his hands on the doors. "Looks like it still works too. Pretty odd for a run down building, wouldn't you say? Still warm."

The younger boy placed a hand to the doors now as well. It  **was**  warm beneath his finger tips. A dread started to fill his insides. He quickly removed his hand, "This isn't good."

"You're telling me, but someone has been using this and we need to find out who." Delsin waved a finger over the down button before pressing it.

"Delsin, don't-" but it was too late. The elevator came to life, roaring as it made it's way to their floor. It dinged when it had reached them and opened rather stiffly, but no one was inside. Eugene stepped far away from it. "Delsin this is not good, not good. I don't think we should be doing this alone."

The older boy placed a hand on one side of the open doors so it wouldn't close back up on them. "But we're not. We have each other. Anything the DUPs are going to throw our way, I'm sure we can handle. We have before."

"How do you know it even has anything to with the D.U.P. though?" Eugene countered.

Delsin looked confused, "What makes you say that? Who else could it be?"

Eugene looked uneasy, "Not sure...just a  _feeling_."

Delsin considered it for a second, then said, "Well, then I guess that gives us more reason to check it out."

"You don't need to be a hero, Delsin."

"I already am." The older boy offered a final glare as he entered the elevator. His mind was made up. It was always made up. He didn't choose this life but it certainly chose him and there was no point in running anymore. He gestured for Eugene to follow. "You coming?"

The nerdy boy shook his head defeated but entered the elevator anyway. What real choice did he have? He'd be a coward if he stayed behind and he didn't want to be a coward anymore. He also couldn't let his friend get hurt. Protecting the weak, wasn't that his vow? And right now, Delsin was pretty vulnerable.

When the elevator came to a halt, both boys felt their hearts drop to their feet. Neither knew what laid beyond this door. Delsin inhaled a large breath then let it out slowly. "You ready?"

Eugene nodded, his body shaking a little bit.

A harsh light entered the lift as the doors creaked open. Delsin and Eugene had to shield their eyes with their arms for a moment before they could adjust. The bright lights, they could see as their eyes came into focus, came from light fixtures to a ceiling. The elevator had opened up to a long, white washed hallway. This part of Curdun Cay certainly did not look abandon.

Delsin was the first to step out but Eugene latched a hand to his forearm, "Delsin! This isn't right. This isn't right at all!" he warned.

The older boy stared down the eerie hallway. "It's kind of spooky, huh?"

He tried to take a few steps further but the younger boy tightened his grip. "This is a bad idea. Bad, bad, bad."

Delsin turned to him, saying sternly, "Eugene, let go."

"But, Delsin!" he pleaded.

"Eugene." Brown eyes glowered at him.

Reluctantly, he let go and Delsin started walking forward. Eugene's legs were shaking. He couldn't control it. Something was terribly off about this place. It was nothing like he remembered. He let one foot venture outside of the doors, scanning the surrounding walls. The white wash was almost suffocating. Stepping completely out, he tried to steady himself by branching his arms out beside him. His stomach turned violently.

"Delsin." he called weakly. "Delsin!"

The older boy turned slightly, "What is it, Eugene?"

"M-Maybe we should wait for Fetch? Or gather more reinforcements?"

Delsin began walking forward again. "It's just us, Eugene."

He continued his exploration of the bleak hallway. As far as he could tell, there were three doors before the hall split. Trying the first one's handle proved to be futile. "Locked." he murmured to himself. He looked to the next door that was only several feet away and then the one after it. "Eugene," he looked back a the nerdy boy slinking slowly behind him. "Try the next door and I'll try the one after it. This will go faster if we are both putting in the effort."

Eugene only nodded because he feared if he spoke, he'd vomit everywhere. Each boy grabbing a handle had readied themselves to twist until a sound of foot steps and muffled voices came their way. Eyes wide, Delsin turned the knob. Locked. He looked over at Eugene who had completely frozen in place. "Eugene?" No response. "Eugene!" He rushed over to him as the sounds became louder. Grabbing the younger boy by the arm he twisted the knob only for him to discover the door was actually unlocked. Wasting no time, he pulled them both in before two men in black jumpsuits and boots rounded the corner.

Pressed against the inside of the door, Delsin could hear the men as they passed. They didn't appear to go on about anything interesting other than mentioning that a few subjects had still been showing some odd readings. It didn't seem too concerning to them, though.

"Subjects?" Delsin mouthed to Eugene who was still frozen in place. His mouth fixed open as he tried to control his erratic breathing.

When it sounded like the men had taken the elevator out, Delsin began to whisper. "Sounds like they're still doing tests here." He turned the door handle to open it but Eugene protested.

Placing his hand on Delsin's, he begged, "Delsin,  **please**! Let's just go!"

The older boy shook off his hand and continued to open the door. "There are innocent people here being experimented on. I may not know for what or why, but when it was you, didn't you hope someone would save you?"

Eugene gulped, "I-I guess..."

"Then we should at least check it out. I'll tell you what, if things get too hairy we'll book it out of here. So you'll keep your eye on a quick escape while I'll see if I can find these 'subjects'. Deal?" Delsin extended his hand for a shake. The younger boy weakly returned the hand shake. "Good. Stay close to me."

The two emerged from the room and made their way to the end of the hallway. There hadn't been any signs to indicated which hall led to where but judging from the sound of where the two men had come from, Delsin was going to bet left. Slowly they treaded lightly down this way. It was another hall but shorter with only two doors this time. There was not a soul to be seen.

Forging forward, they tried the two doors they passed. Both were of course locked. Edging to the corner, Delsin was careful to peak around. Empty. However, there were several doors here and the hall opened up to what looked to be a reception area. Eugene tugged on his plaid shirt.

"Delsin, cameras" he whispered.

The older boy drew his focus to the two cameras blinking on either side of the hall. He whispered back to Eugene, "Do you got this or do you want me to do it?"

"I-I think I can manage." The younger boy squeaked. He stepped in front of Delsin so he could get a better view. He memorized where the cameras were then with a flick of his hand he drained the two in seconds, shutting them down. "Now let's hurry. This place is being kept secret for a reason. Which means someone has to be watching."

"Alright." Delsin smirked.

Their pace picked up a little as they approached the first two doors. They had little windows in them so you could see who was older boy glimpsed into one but there was nobody in it. He walked to the other one, no one. Walking faster he checked the next three. Empty.

"Does this seem strange to you?" He had faced Eugene.

"The  **whole** thing is strange, Delsin! I told you!"

Delsin paused for second to think. The two men mentioned subjects so there were definitely people here. "Where are the labs, Eugene?"

"Why?"

"Because I don't think they would keep these 'subjects' in such an obvious place. They must be testing on them twenty-four seven."

The younger boy made a face, "I don't like the sound of that..."

"Neither do I, that's why I need to know where the labs are." Delsin emphasized.

Eugene let out a long sigh, "Well," he took a step into the middle of the reception area. "I don't remember much of this but that was because I was usually drugged up coming through here."

"Sooo, I'm going to assume this is the level with the labs?"

"Yeah."

Delsin nodded, "Then we have to be close."

"Unfortunately."

Delsin stepped in front of Eugene, "Listen, I know this isn't exactly  _fun_  for you, but somebody needs our help and damn it man, we can't let the D.U.P. keep getting away with this shit!"

The nerdy boy scrunched his face, "I know."

Delsin rested his hands on Eugene's shoulders. "Thank you."

"Can't be a coward forever, I guess." Eugene kicked his own feet around.

The older boy smiled and patted Eugene on the back. Then the two continued their search through out the floor. It seemed like the place was purposely set up like a maze. Room after room after room. Two cameras for each hall. This place was huge!

Suddenly, as they rounded a corner, more DUPs came out of large, revolving doors. Three this time. They all looked a bit flustered as one shouted, "There's been a breach!"

Both boys bodies froze.

"Camera's have been going out one by one in Section A and B!" another exclaimed.

"We need to get over there. Dr. Knoll is heading to security to check on the issue. This building needs to go into lock down until we find the intruder!" The first ordered.

Eugene grabbed Delsin's plaid shirt again. "Lock down?!" he squeaked.

Delsin pushed the younger boy away and appeared out from the corner. "Hey!"

The three assumed D.U.P. men instantly looked in his direction. "HEY!" they shouted as they raised their guns.

However, they were a little too late. Delsin subdued them with smoke and Eugene acted quickly and took out the camera that had caught them. "Delsin, we need to move!"

The older boy nodded in agreement and pushed open the double doors the D.U.P. had just come out of. He was stopped in his tracks when he realized what this room opened up to, the lab. And not just any lab, this lab was ginormous. There was all kinds of crazy, huge machines hanging from the ceilings and chairs to strap you down in underneath. It was the stuff of science fiction nightmares.

"Th-this is the lab?" Delsin had trouble forming words.

Eugene was shaking again, "Definitely new and improved. We need to get the hell out of here, Delsin or we'll be next!"

"Right, right. Let's just-" his brown eyes caught site of a cluster of human sized glass containers in the middle of the room. "-Do you see that?" He pointed at them.

Eugene's eyes followed and he shook his head furiously, "No, no, no, no, no! Let's get OUT of here!"

"This might be where the subjects are..." Delsin started to navigate his way toward them.

"That's  _great_! Now we know where they are. Let's go find them some help! DELSIN!"

Eugene's attempts to redirect his friend were useless. Delsin had already found himself circling around the tubes. His hand touched the glass of each one as he passed. They were cold and empty. What kind of sick things were they testing in here? This was way more than what Augustine had originally intended. They were creating something here.

"Delsin! Come on! I hear people coming!"

As the older boy came around the other side of the tubes, he stopped dead in his tracks. His breath hitched and he took a step back. "No way..." he drew out, breathlessly.

Before him, in a container, was a human female. An oxygen mask was attached to her pale face as her chest heaved ever so softly. She was alive. Delsin inched closer for a further examination. Her hair appeared as pale as her skin inside the tube of blue liquid. She had a diamond shaped face and small lips. Her nose was on the small side as well. If he had to guess, she looked to be about seventeen.

His hand laid flat against the glass as he called out, "Eugene!" but Eugene never responded. "Eugene?!" He tore his eyes away from the girl to see Eugene struggling against multiple D.U.P. officers.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath. Then he looked back at the female in the tube only to be greeted by ocean blue eyes. Her eyes. Delsin gasped and before he could make another move her right hand reached out, touching his against the glass. A spark seemed to ignite between their fingers. It was like electricity coursing through Delsin's body. The next thing he knew glass was shattering and he was sent flying backwards toward the ground. Then, everything went black.


	5. Danger! High Voltage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for a long wait for those who read this. Been very busy with work lately but I finally finished this chapter! On a side note, a reviewer brought up a point of Delsin's absorption powers and how I had him using two at the same time in Chapter 4. So I fixed that and for future chapters. So if anyone else had questions, feel free to ask and as always read and review!

When Delsin came to all

he could hear was snapping and crackling around him. For a moment, he couldn't recall what had just transpired. With his eyes still closed he let his fingers twitch against a familiar rough surface. It was concrete flooring. As if someone had opened the flood gate, it all came rushing back to him. The D.U.P. The explosion.

His brown eyes fluttered. Delsin's vision blurred and he blinked a few times before he recognized all the insane lab equipment. He remembered. He was in the lab. Eugene. He sat up too quickly only to double over in pain. He had definitely been knocked off his feet. His body was sore.

"Damn it." he cursed as his left hand traced the back of his skull. There was a small knot on the rise. He had to shake it off though. Eugene was in trouble. "Eugene?!" he called weakly.

Slowly, he collected himself off the floor. "Eugene?!" he called again. His head was pounding and his body felt like it was hit by a bus. "What the  **hell**  happened?" Delsin questioned under his breath. With a hand still to his skull he scoped out the room. It looked partially destroyed now. There were broken wires everywhere. Which he realized was the source of all the crackling he was hearing, but what did this?

Taking a step forward his boot made a crunching sound beneath it. The older boy moved his boot to the side to see he had stepped on glass.  _Glass_. He frantically looked around before a pale silhouette caught his eye. It was her, the girl from the container. She was naked and laying on her side. He ran over to her removing his plaid shirt in the process. He draped it over her so she was covered.

"Hey." Delsin nudged her lightly. "Hey, you okay?" There was no response.

"Delsin?!" He looked up to see Eugene climb over a broken machine."Delsin, you're alive!"

Delsin smirked, "Would you have expected anything less?"

"What have you two idiots done?"

Both boys looked back to see the one and only Fetch standing among some rubble. Her hands were glowing magenta and she looked pissed. "I finally follow you guys in and what do I find? DUPs EVERYWHERE. Going on about a breach, yadda, yadda." Her hand movements matched her irritated emotions. "What happened to just 'checking things out'? Huh?"

"Yeahhh, it got a little more complicated than that." Delsin looked down at the girl beside him.

Fetch's face crinkled, "Who is this?!"

"Don't know, but I bet she's one of the 'subjects' they've been testing on. We can ask her when we get her out of here."

"We're taking her?!"

"Well we're not going to leave her!" Delsin exclaimed as he scooped the fragile girl into his arms, cradling her.

"She's extra baggage, D! And whatever shit you stirred you're only going to make it worse by taking her." Fetch pointed out.

"I don't...really think...that...matters." Eugene added slowly, pointing behind all of them. A hoard of D.U.P. officers started to gather near.

"Listen, I've still got a free hand. As long as you guys cover me we have a chance to get the hell out of here. All of us." He looked directly at Fetch when he spoke his last sentence.

She eyed the unconscious girl in Delsin's arms and thought about how much it would suck if that was her and they just left her. She sighed, "Okay."

"Thank you." Then Delsin reached his hand out to absorb some of the smoke billowing from broken machines.

"If I had a dollar for every time..." The rest of Fetch's sentence was incoherent as she walked off, grumbling toward the group of officers steadying their weapons. "How cute." She mused, unleashing several spirals of neon to disperse the men.

Eugene followed in her lead calling upon his angels to descend down on the enemy. Delsin stuck between the two shooting smoke balls at anyone they happen to miss. As a whole, they were a pretty solid team. Almost unstoppable. Almost, that is.

They had battled their way down several hallways before the assumed D.U.P.'s came at them with a different strategy. DUPs had surrounded them just before the elevator. Eugene's angel's were running short and Fetch could only take out so many at a time. That's when an electric rope of sorts was thrown at them. It had spheres attached to it so when it hit it's target it coiled itself around them and shocked them into submission. Eugene took the first hit.

"Eugene!" Delsin and Fetch cried in unison.

The younger boys angels disappeared so fast as jolts streamed through his tiny frame. He was down almost instantaneously. A wretched cry bellowed from Fetch's throat, "Arrgh, you bastards!" She sent a heated body wave of neon in the rope throwers direction, knocking them all off their feet. However, it didn't cover what was behind her and a roped latched onto her next.

"Fetch!" Delsin panicked.

"Fuck." She breathed before it was her turn to be electrocuted to the ground. The pain was almost unbearable.

Delsin was all alone now, still cradling the girl. His heart raced as he saw his options dwindling. The D.U.P. started to close in on him and his fallen friends. "Give up! We have you surrounded!"

The older boy shook his head, "No way!"

And without another word they threw an electric rope toward him too. It wrapped itself around him and the girl in his arms, tightly. It was impossible to move now making him lose his balance. He fell to one knee stil trying to keep a grip on the girl. He could feel the rope pulsating as it surged both of them with electricity.

"Ahhhh!" he groaned, gritting his teeth together. He had to get out of this some how.

"Another!" he heard a DUP order and sure enough, another rope latched onto them.

This one would surely kill them. How could he have let this happen? Delsin prepared himself for his last moments only to discover, it never came. He opened his eyes hesitantly to see the shock waves of the ropes being absorbed. They passed over him into the girl in his arms whose eyes were wide open now. Ocean blue pools stared into his soul.

"Hey..." he unintentionally whispered.

She closed her eye lids and a burst of light engulfed the whole corridor. Delsin had to use his free hand to shield his eyes. Upon reopening them, all the D.U.P.'s nearest to them had been fried to a crisp while the others further off were thrown out of range. There was a path to the elevator now. He couldn't hardly believe it.

He looked back down to thank the mysterious girl but she had slipped back into unconsciousness.  _Of course._  He thought, regaining his strength to carry her.

The older boy set the girl down inside the elevator and went back to wake up the fallen duo. Delsin brushed some hair away from Fetch's face as he shook her gently. "Fetch?" He let his hands carefully hold her face. "Hey, Fetch, you alright?"

She groaned and gritted her teeth, "Uck."

"Yeah, I know. Come on. " He tried to gently lift her to a sitting position. "We gotta get out of here."

"Fuckkk, D." She pushed him away as her hands instantly cupped her face. "I feel like shit."

Delsin smirked, "I know the feeling."

She peeked between her hands to take in the carnage around her. The same hands slowly slid down her face, "Whoa."

"Yeah, it's a mess. Let's get you up though and to the elevator." He helped her stand and guided her to the lift. Her left hand used the right wall as support when she entered, eyeing the unconscious girl. "If it wasn't for her, we might all be dead. Aren't you glad we didn't leave her?"

Fetch let a grin curl around her lips, "I figured. You aren't  _that_ good."

Delsin gave her a look while letting her go, "Oh ha. Ha."

The purple haired girl leaned against the wall now, smiling. Things finally felt back to normal between the two of them. Delsin went over to attend to Eugene whose eyes were gradually opening. "Heyy, buddy. How ya feeling?" He knelt down to take a closer look. Eugene stared angrily at Delsin. "Yeah, I know. Come on, your turn." He helped him sit up, then stand. The younger boy was still shaky on his feet so Delsin let Eugene use him as a crutch to the elevator. Once they were all inside Delsin pushed the up button and the lift roared to life.

Eugene made himself comfortable next to the girl. "What are we going to do now?" His eyes looked over her sleeping form.

Delsin leaned against the wall across from Fetch, hands in pockets. "First, let's just get to Salmon Bay. We'll figure the rest out from there."

It wasn't exactly what you'd

call "smooth sailing" for the quartet as they made their escape. D.U.P. reinforcements were trailing up the road towards them. So they decided to detour down the side of the mountain. It was a long and trying way to Salmon Bay but instead of encountering a hoard of DUPs, they only had to fend off a handful.

When they all finally arrived at the doorstep of the small home Betty and Delsin currently shared, they collapsed on the porch, exhausted. Betty must have heard the commotion because immediately flung open the door, "Delsin where have you...? Ohhh myyy..." she looked at Eugene and Fetch and then turned her gaze toward the unknown girl.

"Betty...I can explain-"

"Come inside,  **immediately**." She commanded. Her dark eyes piercing the still unconscious girl.

Delsin gave a hesitant, confused stare while Fetch and Eugene easily complied. " _Gladly_." The purple haired girl chimed.

Delsin was the last to follow still carrying the girl in arms. He kept the same stare as he carefully watched Betty's previous gaze continue to harden. "Are you okay?" he asked.

As if snapping out of a long trance the old woman's face softened as she looked up at the older boy. "Oh, I-I'm fine Delsin, dear." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please, just come in."

"Oookay..." he said unnerved, arching an eyebrow while looking between her and the girl in his arms. Something was up, but he knew he wouldn't be getting any answers tonight.

He set the girl down in his bed for the night. Pulling the sheets over her he wondered what Betty could have possibly known that he didn't. She looked completely normal to him. Other than those blue eyes. They were so familiar. He could kick himself for not placing them right now.

He backed away from the girl and shut the light off before exiting. Eugene and Fetch had made themselves comfortable on the couch, beers in hand. "Be careful, adult things can happen with adult beverages." he pointed at Eugene.

Eugene looked annoyed, "I know what a beer is."

Fetch had been smirking the whole time. With the bottle touching her lips, she teased, "He wouldn't have a chance."

The younger boy's face turned a shade of red, "Really guys?!"

The older two both laughed. Eugene was just too easy sometimes. Delsin ruffled Eugene's hair then stopped by the fridge for a beer of his own. He was just so happy they were all together again. These were the real friends he had been missing all this time. He seated himself on the carpet in front of them, holding on to the moment.

Betty walked back into the room with a strange look on her face that Delsin couldn't recall ever seeing before. She stood by the arm of the couch, "What happened now?" Betty's eyes jolted between the three of them.

Naturally, Fetch raised her eyebrows at Delsin while she kept sipping on her beer and Eugene leaned uncomfortable back into the couch. They were going to be no help. Delsin let out a long sigh, "Welll-"

"Delsin, I don't want a long, drawn out story. Hit me with it." She asked impatiently. "What are we up against?"

For once, the older boy was speechless. Betty was being way too jittery and forceful. Something was definitely bugging the old native. Fetch decided to slice the sudden tension. "D, here decided to follow up on some crazy dreams. Blew a hole in my apartment." She pointed the tip of her beer toward him. "Which we still need to discuss. Took off into the woods and found a DUP hide out." She took a swig this time. "Experiments or subjects or something."

"Experiments?" Betty raised an eyebrow at the native boy.

"Yeah, advanced stuff too. That's where we found the girl..." Eugene added but came to a slow stop when Delsin shot him a glare.

Betty didn't seem to like this. "The girl?  **That**  girl?"

"Betty, what is your deal, man?" Delsin interjected.

The old woman crossed her arms stepping towards Delsin. "My  _deal_? Delsin, you are such a great boy. You truly are but you don't think things through."

"Oh come onnn-"

"No." Betty's face turned to worry. "You have no idea what they have done to that poor girl. She could be extremely dangerous. She could be a weapon." Delsin tried to defend his choices but she kept going. "On top of that, with out a proper investigation you could have opened a whole can of worms. Did you ever think they might come out looking for this girl? What do we do if they come to the reservation? Did you consider that?"

"That's what I said!" Fetched agreed, taking another swig.

Delsin was flabbergasted. He's seen Betty mad, but this just seemed...more serious. She didn't even lecture him this much when he just took off for Seattle. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Chill out for a second." he stood up and waved his hands around. "Where is this all coming from? I know I don't make the best decisions but I was saving a life-"

"Is that what you thought you did?" Betty slipped from her lips.

This caught Eugene and Fetch's attention as well. "What?" the older boy wore a confused face.

She retracted as she closed her eyes for a second. "I'm sorry. You just get yourself into so much trouble...if anything happened to you..."

Delsin felt his heart naturally soften, "Betty..." he placed his hands on either side of her shoulders. "I'll figure it out. I always do."

He could see deep down that the older woman was not convinced but she forced a smile on her face and sighed, "Just have a plan by tomorrow. They'll probably be looking for her." She pulled away from him and shook a finger at Eugene and Fetch. "And no more for you two. You'll need to get a good nights rest."

Fetch leaned forward. "Yeah, sure." While Eugene just nodded slightly.

Betty shook her head, almost as if trying to make herself believe everything was alright. She walked off toward her bedroom wishing a goodnight to everyone before she left. Uneasiness seemed to enter the room and Delsin couldn't take it anymore. "I'm going to bed."

"Already?" Eugene questioned.

"Where ya sleeping? In your bed? Ohhh-" Fetched started to tease but Delsin wasn't having it right now.

"Fetch, don't. I'm going to grab some blankets for all of us. The couch turns into a bed so you guys can fight over that. I'm going to sleep on the hammock outside."

"Seriously?" The purple haired girl made a face.

"I...I just need some space to think."


End file.
